Searching for solutions to gun violence

NewsJul 27, 2012Aurora Banner

Jonathan Chambers was passionate about sports, wanted to get into business and attended Markham District High School.
But the young man’s life was cut short at 21 in March 2007.
He was shot dead in a Brampton cocaine deal.
Two men handed Mr. Chambers, acting as a go-between, a wad of fake cash to facilitate the transaction with a drug dealer, court records state.
Mr. Chambers’ body was found in Oro-Medonte Township March 7, 2007. He had been shot.
Brampton’s Lenworth Spence was convicted last year of first-degree murder in Mr. Chambers’ death.
Several other men were convicted of charges ranging from manslaughter to accessory to the crime in exchange for testifying against Mr. Spence.
To this day, the loss of her son continues to haunt Mr. Chambers’ mother, Nancy Logan-Chambers, who said the family didn’t know Mr. Chambers was connected with drug activity.
“You’re never the same,” she said of the impact on the family. “Every day, I cannot believe my son is dead.”
Recent gun violence, including the shootings of seven people in Toronto’s Eaton Centre, 25 people at a block party in Scarborough and a man at a cafe in Toronto’s Little Italy and the massacre at an Aurora, Colorado movie theatre, has horrified people across the continent.
The Scarborough incident left two young people dead: Shyanne Charles, 14, and Joshua Yasay, 23.
A Whitchurch-Stouffville man was charged with first-degree murder in the Little Italy killing.
In the aftermath of the shootings, public opinion has been loud.
Toronto hip-hop artist P. Reign released a track entitled Angels, memorializing Shyanne and Mr. Yasay.
Some people are demanding greater investment in social programs to address the needs of at-risk youths potentially susceptible to gang involvement. Others are calling for more police on streets.
Ms Logan-Chambers argued a major failure in dealing with gun violence lies not with police, but with the justice system, which she believes often proverbially slaps criminals on the wrist before releasing them back into the community.
Stiffer enforcement of gun laws is needed to crack down on people found with weapons, she said.
“The government needs to be proactive,” she urged. “Don’t wait until someone gets murdered to enforce the laws.”
Her son came from a loving family, several members of which are high-achieving members of Canadian society, she noted.
Among the accomplishments of Mr. Chambers’ family members, his brother, Shamawd, plays professional football for the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos.
Another relative rose through the ranks of Toronto Police to serve as a deputy chief.
Police investigating her son’s death did a good job, Ms Logan-Chambers said, but she lamented the arduous criminal trial process of the men connected to the incident.
“It was hard on my family,” she said, noting she and her son’s father have both suffered health and financial complications since their son’s death.
Ms Logan-Chambers, affiliated with United Mothers Opposing Violence Everywhere, urged parents to take drastic steps to intervene if they discover a child is involved in criminal activity.
“They need to take control,” she said, adding that includes co-operating with police. “Step up, be parents and be proactive in your kid’s life.”
Meanwhile, the midnight movie theatre slaughter in Aurora, Colorado, increasingly impacts everyone in our social media-driven global village, Social Services Network executive director Dr. Naila Butt said. So, too, did the racially motivated mass killing of 69 youth camp members last summer on Norway’s Utoya Island.
Closer to home, the shootings in Scarborough and gang-style murder in Little Italy beg an end to rhetoric and a call to action, she said.
“If it happens in Toronto, can it happen in Markham?” Dr. Butt asked, before offering an emphatic, “Yes”.
The medical doctor-turned-public health and social services advocate is also an active proponent of stemming family violence.
She leads a five-year, touring anti-violence symposium with community partners, including York Regional Police, the Children’s Aid Society and peer agencies.
Her Markham-based network, focusing on the South Asian community, is inclusive and growing.
It’s a management model based on her belief integration, education and information empower individuals and neighbourhoods, leading to understanding, acceptance and peace.
The culture of violence needs to be addressed from a holistic perspective, she said
“We need to look at why it’s happening, examine the causes such as poverty, unemployment and youths’ mistrust of authority and police.”
Establishing communication, mutual trust and respect in communities that remain isolated is the key, she contended.
“Veiled racism” exists in our society, she bluntly stated.
It’s mostly silent, but people feel it and its pain.
Closed societies have an “us against them” attitude, Dr. Butt said, adding breaking down barriers and bridging gaps will slowly dissolve the rancor that spawns violence.
She knows of what she speaks, candidly admitting she left a comfortable existence in her native Pakistan because of violence.
“They were fighting amongst each other and for what?” she said. “Anything that divides people, the colour of their skin, their faith, religion, is not good. Quality of life, that’s what is important.”
In many at-risk neighbourhoods, gangs wield more power than police, she said. Residents have distrust for police. Breaking the silence will stop the violence, but trust takes time.
The move to safer communities begins with individual and political will, she said.
Markham is on the way, she suggested, largely due to reasonable and sensible municipal governance.
“Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti has a different approach,” she said. “He’s the people’s mayor. He and the police recognize and are proud of our diversity.”
More youth programs, schools and agencies working collaboratively with parents is part of the solution, she said.
“People in our diverse communities need to recognize there are supports and help is available,” Dr. Butt said. “We need an integrated approach, where there are different tasks, but one goal. We need places where people are valued.”
Stakeholders must realize immigration for newcomers is not as quick as settlement, she said.
“Talk ends when a commitment for allocated funds is shown and people are assigned specific tasks,” Dr. Butt said. “Talk ends when a budget is in place and action is taken.
“No community in our region is immune from gun violence. It can happen anywhere. We have to ask: What kind of society do we want our children to grow up in?”

Aug. 5: York Regional Police and Senator Don Meredith offer perspectives in the conclusion to our two-part series on gun crime.

Searching for solutions to gun violence

NewsJul 27, 2012Aurora Banner

Jonathan Chambers was passionate about sports, wanted to get into business and attended Markham District High School.
But the young man’s life was cut short at 21 in March 2007.
He was shot dead in a Brampton cocaine deal.
Two men handed Mr. Chambers, acting as a go-between, a wad of fake cash to facilitate the transaction with a drug dealer, court records state.
Mr. Chambers’ body was found in Oro-Medonte Township March 7, 2007. He had been shot.
Brampton’s Lenworth Spence was convicted last year of first-degree murder in Mr. Chambers’ death.
Several other men were convicted of charges ranging from manslaughter to accessory to the crime in exchange for testifying against Mr. Spence.
To this day, the loss of her son continues to haunt Mr. Chambers’ mother, Nancy Logan-Chambers, who said the family didn’t know Mr. Chambers was connected with drug activity.
“You’re never the same,” she said of the impact on the family. “Every day, I cannot believe my son is dead.”
Recent gun violence, including the shootings of seven people in Toronto’s Eaton Centre, 25 people at a block party in Scarborough and a man at a cafe in Toronto’s Little Italy and the massacre at an Aurora, Colorado movie theatre, has horrified people across the continent.
The Scarborough incident left two young people dead: Shyanne Charles, 14, and Joshua Yasay, 23.
A Whitchurch-Stouffville man was charged with first-degree murder in the Little Italy killing.
In the aftermath of the shootings, public opinion has been loud.
Toronto hip-hop artist P. Reign released a track entitled Angels, memorializing Shyanne and Mr. Yasay.
Some people are demanding greater investment in social programs to address the needs of at-risk youths potentially susceptible to gang involvement. Others are calling for more police on streets.
Ms Logan-Chambers argued a major failure in dealing with gun violence lies not with police, but with the justice system, which she believes often proverbially slaps criminals on the wrist before releasing them back into the community.
Stiffer enforcement of gun laws is needed to crack down on people found with weapons, she said.
“The government needs to be proactive,” she urged. “Don’t wait until someone gets murdered to enforce the laws.”
Her son came from a loving family, several members of which are high-achieving members of Canadian society, she noted.
Among the accomplishments of Mr. Chambers’ family members, his brother, Shamawd, plays professional football for the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos.
Another relative rose through the ranks of Toronto Police to serve as a deputy chief.
Police investigating her son’s death did a good job, Ms Logan-Chambers said, but she lamented the arduous criminal trial process of the men connected to the incident.
“It was hard on my family,” she said, noting she and her son’s father have both suffered health and financial complications since their son’s death.
Ms Logan-Chambers, affiliated with United Mothers Opposing Violence Everywhere, urged parents to take drastic steps to intervene if they discover a child is involved in criminal activity.
“They need to take control,” she said, adding that includes co-operating with police. “Step up, be parents and be proactive in your kid’s life.”
Meanwhile, the midnight movie theatre slaughter in Aurora, Colorado, increasingly impacts everyone in our social media-driven global village, Social Services Network executive director Dr. Naila Butt said. So, too, did the racially motivated mass killing of 69 youth camp members last summer on Norway’s Utoya Island.
Closer to home, the shootings in Scarborough and gang-style murder in Little Italy beg an end to rhetoric and a call to action, she said.
“If it happens in Toronto, can it happen in Markham?” Dr. Butt asked, before offering an emphatic, “Yes”.
The medical doctor-turned-public health and social services advocate is also an active proponent of stemming family violence.
She leads a five-year, touring anti-violence symposium with community partners, including York Regional Police, the Children’s Aid Society and peer agencies.
Her Markham-based network, focusing on the South Asian community, is inclusive and growing.
It’s a management model based on her belief integration, education and information empower individuals and neighbourhoods, leading to understanding, acceptance and peace.
The culture of violence needs to be addressed from a holistic perspective, she said
“We need to look at why it’s happening, examine the causes such as poverty, unemployment and youths’ mistrust of authority and police.”
Establishing communication, mutual trust and respect in communities that remain isolated is the key, she contended.
“Veiled racism” exists in our society, she bluntly stated.
It’s mostly silent, but people feel it and its pain.
Closed societies have an “us against them” attitude, Dr. Butt said, adding breaking down barriers and bridging gaps will slowly dissolve the rancor that spawns violence.
She knows of what she speaks, candidly admitting she left a comfortable existence in her native Pakistan because of violence.
“They were fighting amongst each other and for what?” she said. “Anything that divides people, the colour of their skin, their faith, religion, is not good. Quality of life, that’s what is important.”
In many at-risk neighbourhoods, gangs wield more power than police, she said. Residents have distrust for police. Breaking the silence will stop the violence, but trust takes time.
The move to safer communities begins with individual and political will, she said.
Markham is on the way, she suggested, largely due to reasonable and sensible municipal governance.
“Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti has a different approach,” she said. “He’s the people’s mayor. He and the police recognize and are proud of our diversity.”
More youth programs, schools and agencies working collaboratively with parents is part of the solution, she said.
“People in our diverse communities need to recognize there are supports and help is available,” Dr. Butt said. “We need an integrated approach, where there are different tasks, but one goal. We need places where people are valued.”
Stakeholders must realize immigration for newcomers is not as quick as settlement, she said.
“Talk ends when a commitment for allocated funds is shown and people are assigned specific tasks,” Dr. Butt said. “Talk ends when a budget is in place and action is taken.
“No community in our region is immune from gun violence. It can happen anywhere. We have to ask: What kind of society do we want our children to grow up in?”

Aug. 5: York Regional Police and Senator Don Meredith offer perspectives in the conclusion to our two-part series on gun crime.

Top Stories

Searching for solutions to gun violence

NewsJul 27, 2012Aurora Banner

Jonathan Chambers was passionate about sports, wanted to get into business and attended Markham District High School.
But the young man’s life was cut short at 21 in March 2007.
He was shot dead in a Brampton cocaine deal.
Two men handed Mr. Chambers, acting as a go-between, a wad of fake cash to facilitate the transaction with a drug dealer, court records state.
Mr. Chambers’ body was found in Oro-Medonte Township March 7, 2007. He had been shot.
Brampton’s Lenworth Spence was convicted last year of first-degree murder in Mr. Chambers’ death.
Several other men were convicted of charges ranging from manslaughter to accessory to the crime in exchange for testifying against Mr. Spence.
To this day, the loss of her son continues to haunt Mr. Chambers’ mother, Nancy Logan-Chambers, who said the family didn’t know Mr. Chambers was connected with drug activity.
“You’re never the same,” she said of the impact on the family. “Every day, I cannot believe my son is dead.”
Recent gun violence, including the shootings of seven people in Toronto’s Eaton Centre, 25 people at a block party in Scarborough and a man at a cafe in Toronto’s Little Italy and the massacre at an Aurora, Colorado movie theatre, has horrified people across the continent.
The Scarborough incident left two young people dead: Shyanne Charles, 14, and Joshua Yasay, 23.
A Whitchurch-Stouffville man was charged with first-degree murder in the Little Italy killing.
In the aftermath of the shootings, public opinion has been loud.
Toronto hip-hop artist P. Reign released a track entitled Angels, memorializing Shyanne and Mr. Yasay.
Some people are demanding greater investment in social programs to address the needs of at-risk youths potentially susceptible to gang involvement. Others are calling for more police on streets.
Ms Logan-Chambers argued a major failure in dealing with gun violence lies not with police, but with the justice system, which she believes often proverbially slaps criminals on the wrist before releasing them back into the community.
Stiffer enforcement of gun laws is needed to crack down on people found with weapons, she said.
“The government needs to be proactive,” she urged. “Don’t wait until someone gets murdered to enforce the laws.”
Her son came from a loving family, several members of which are high-achieving members of Canadian society, she noted.
Among the accomplishments of Mr. Chambers’ family members, his brother, Shamawd, plays professional football for the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos.
Another relative rose through the ranks of Toronto Police to serve as a deputy chief.
Police investigating her son’s death did a good job, Ms Logan-Chambers said, but she lamented the arduous criminal trial process of the men connected to the incident.
“It was hard on my family,” she said, noting she and her son’s father have both suffered health and financial complications since their son’s death.
Ms Logan-Chambers, affiliated with United Mothers Opposing Violence Everywhere, urged parents to take drastic steps to intervene if they discover a child is involved in criminal activity.
“They need to take control,” she said, adding that includes co-operating with police. “Step up, be parents and be proactive in your kid’s life.”
Meanwhile, the midnight movie theatre slaughter in Aurora, Colorado, increasingly impacts everyone in our social media-driven global village, Social Services Network executive director Dr. Naila Butt said. So, too, did the racially motivated mass killing of 69 youth camp members last summer on Norway’s Utoya Island.
Closer to home, the shootings in Scarborough and gang-style murder in Little Italy beg an end to rhetoric and a call to action, she said.
“If it happens in Toronto, can it happen in Markham?” Dr. Butt asked, before offering an emphatic, “Yes”.
The medical doctor-turned-public health and social services advocate is also an active proponent of stemming family violence.
She leads a five-year, touring anti-violence symposium with community partners, including York Regional Police, the Children’s Aid Society and peer agencies.
Her Markham-based network, focusing on the South Asian community, is inclusive and growing.
It’s a management model based on her belief integration, education and information empower individuals and neighbourhoods, leading to understanding, acceptance and peace.
The culture of violence needs to be addressed from a holistic perspective, she said
“We need to look at why it’s happening, examine the causes such as poverty, unemployment and youths’ mistrust of authority and police.”
Establishing communication, mutual trust and respect in communities that remain isolated is the key, she contended.
“Veiled racism” exists in our society, she bluntly stated.
It’s mostly silent, but people feel it and its pain.
Closed societies have an “us against them” attitude, Dr. Butt said, adding breaking down barriers and bridging gaps will slowly dissolve the rancor that spawns violence.
She knows of what she speaks, candidly admitting she left a comfortable existence in her native Pakistan because of violence.
“They were fighting amongst each other and for what?” she said. “Anything that divides people, the colour of their skin, their faith, religion, is not good. Quality of life, that’s what is important.”
In many at-risk neighbourhoods, gangs wield more power than police, she said. Residents have distrust for police. Breaking the silence will stop the violence, but trust takes time.
The move to safer communities begins with individual and political will, she said.
Markham is on the way, she suggested, largely due to reasonable and sensible municipal governance.
“Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti has a different approach,” she said. “He’s the people’s mayor. He and the police recognize and are proud of our diversity.”
More youth programs, schools and agencies working collaboratively with parents is part of the solution, she said.
“People in our diverse communities need to recognize there are supports and help is available,” Dr. Butt said. “We need an integrated approach, where there are different tasks, but one goal. We need places where people are valued.”
Stakeholders must realize immigration for newcomers is not as quick as settlement, she said.
“Talk ends when a commitment for allocated funds is shown and people are assigned specific tasks,” Dr. Butt said. “Talk ends when a budget is in place and action is taken.
“No community in our region is immune from gun violence. It can happen anywhere. We have to ask: What kind of society do we want our children to grow up in?”

Aug. 5: York Regional Police and Senator Don Meredith offer perspectives in the conclusion to our two-part series on gun crime.